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LOCAL RUNNERS STEAL THE SHOW AT 44TH SPACE COAST MARATHON & HALF-MARATHON

KAITLIN DONNER NEARS OLYMPIC TEAM QUALIFIER, LIFELONG DREAM

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WHY I RUN: JENI RITTER

Packet Pick Up: Tuesday, 2/9- Friday, 2/12, 10:00am-6.30pm

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

Fun Runs & Walks Continue ............. 3

Jingle Bell 2 Miler Participants Embrace Holiday Spirit ................ 4

Sloth Skedaddle 3k Preview ............ 5

Excalibur 10 Miler, 2 Miler & Relay Offer Options for Everyone .......... 8

Corporate 5K - Save the Dates ......... 9

Gecko Club January Special ........... 9

New Products at Running Zone ........ 9

Countdown to Fitness & Final Mile ... 10Running Zone January Special ....... 10Elastic Therapeutic Tape (Kinesiology

Tape) ....................................... 12For Julie Hannah, The Sky is

The Limit ................................. 14Running Zone Foundation Race

Series Registration .................... 152015-16 Running Zone Foundation

Race Series Calendar ................ 17Gecko Club Registration Form ....... 18

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As in any endeavor our children are our future. That’s the thinking behind and the reason for our new-est initiative, the Space Coast Countdown to Fitness. Under the program a teacher or volunteer will start a running program at their school. The school also can register if it already has a running program. Running Zone will provide a banner and T-shirts for the school. Participants run for 10 weeks up to a total of 25.2

miles. The program culminates at 1 p.m. April 23 at the City of Melbourne’s Track

and Field Day at Eau Gallie High where participants run the free final mile. The run will be a timed event

and there will be finisher medals for all.

Complete information is available at

www.countdowntofitness.org We believe this program dove-tails with the involvement of children at most major Running

Zone events through free kids’

runs, school participation recognition and awards. We hope to bring more community members to assist in reaching children throughout Brevard County. This program is the essence of Running Zone Foundation’s mission. The Foundation’s charter is to promote and en-courage health and fitness in our community through running, jogging, walking and related educational programs and publications. See page 10 for more information.

DON & DENISE’S DEN

New Countdown to Fitness program promotes kids' health & fitness

www.runningzone.com/blog MONDAY NIGHT: Pizza Gallery & Grill the Avenue Viera, 6PM 1st Monday of month free pizza

TUESDAY NIGHT: Long Doggers, Post Road, 6PM FREE draught beer or ½ OFF an appetizer, 2nd Tuesday of month FREE APPETIZERS too!

Wednesday night on hiatus until time change

THURSDAY NIGHT: until time change then 6pm at Running Zone,5:30PM Last Thursday of month FREE PIZZA, prizes & giveaways, & $1 beers!

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Amidst gusting winds and holiday garb 1,689 runners and walkers gave themselves the gift of fitness in the Jingle Bell 2-Miler on Dec. 19 at the Satellite Beach Public Library. The race was the fourth in the seven-event Running Zone Foundation Race Series and saw overall female leader and Satellite Beach native Kaitlin Donner win once again. Donner, 26, of Melbourne, crossed in a personal record time of 10 minutes, 28.3 seconds good for seventh overall, the eighth overall finisher being husband Ed Donner who crossed in 10:29.2. The overall race victory went to 19-year-old Christopher Shaffer of Satellite Beach who runs for George Washington University. Shaffer, a Satellite High graduate, topped the field in 9:57.9, 10 seconds ahead of John Cacciatore, 16, of Indialantic who finished in 10:07.8. Cocoa Beach’s Aubree Piepmeier, 23, was the second woman and 11th overall in 10:39.1 “The second-place girl raced awesome, and it was so nice having another female up front to work with,” said Donner who will race this spring for a berth on the 2016 U.S. Sum-mer Olympics triathlon team. “Ed was pretty close to me the whole way and really helped me the last half mile. I was breathing heavy and he was talking to me. “I think this is the third year I have won this race? This year was my fastest on this course by a few seconds, which is very excit-ing since it comes after a coaching change just a few months ago. “I love running the streets where I ran so many workouts, long runs, recovery runs and played with friends. Ed and I actually ran the course again as cool down to really enjoy the

lights and candy cane lane since we didn't get to during the race.” Shaffer had similiar sentiments. “It is always nice to come back and run all the old routes I took in high school,” he said. “They hold a lot of good memories and helped to push me throughout the race. “I went into the race expecting to hang with the lead pack for the first mile and then see how I felt from there. A little after the mile mark I made my move and was to finish strong. It helped having all the other guys up there with me like Johnny Cacciatore and Kyle Butler to push me throughout the race. “Coach (Doug) Butler has played a big role in my summer training the past few sum-mers. His workouts and the group of runners there have helped to get me ready for cross country in the fall.” The Male Masters victory went to West Melbourne’s Jonathan Howse, 42, who came home in 11:18.9. Melbourne Beach’s Tasha Camps, 45, took the Female Masters title in 13:24.2. The event’s most senior finisher was Satellite Beach’s John Cattaneo, 85, in 37:04.5. Team Running Zone of Donner, John Cacciatore, Howse, Steve Hedgespeth and Ron Abel captured team laurels with a combined time of 54:08. Long Doggers Club of Long Doggers Club consisting of Ian Reesh, Michael Fisher, Zeke Zauner, Alison Nolan and Todd Sukolsky was second in 55:18. Set Goals Not Limits of Set Goals Not Limits of Shaffer, Kyle Butler, Trevor Vaughn, Ryan Shaffer and Kathy Bils was third in 58:28 and Cantering Camps of Austin Camps, Garrett Camps, Christian Camps, Tasha Camps and Mario Camps was fourth in 59:15.

The next series event is the Brevard Zoo Sloth Skedaddle 3K on Feb. 13. Visit www.runningzone.com/series for complete race information and registration. The school participation category went to Westside Elementary with 34. Surfside Elementary with 20 was second and Indian Harbour Montessori with 15 was third. Nine-teen schools and 123 participants took part. “It was a fun event,” said race director Denise Piercy. “The weather and the way par-ticipants dressed out certainly made it feel like Christmas. “Also more people took part and finished this year which is always a good sign. We can’t wait until the zoo race.”

Jingle Bell 2 Miler participants embrace holiday spiritBy Mark DeCotis

Jerri-Michelle Osborn's smile says it all as she crosses the finish line in the Jingle Bell 2-Miler.

Satellite Beach’s Christopher Shaffer wins 2015 Jingle Bell 2 Miler.

Two legends – Santa and Doug Butler, second from left, mingle with the Gecko and runner Tom Weidenbauer at Jingle Bell.

And they’re off for the 2015 Jingle Bell 2 Miler in Satellite Beach.

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Jingle Bell 2 Miler participants embrace holiday spirit continued from the previous page

Jingle Bell 2 Miler overall women’s winner Kaitlin Donner crosses the finish line just ahead of husband Ed Donner.

Palm Bay’s Bill Papin (288) and Robin Lindsay (289) mingle with Melbourne’s Elizabeth Starling (1441) in a fashion show of sorts at the Jingle Bell 2 Miler which always doubles as a costume gala.

A sea of kids runners decked out in red awaits the Jingle Bell start.

What better way to combine a morning of fitness and fun than participating in the next Running Zone Foundation Race Series event – the Brevard Zoo’s Sloth Skeddadle 3K? The race, actually two events in one, is set for Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Zoo at Wick-ham Road and I-95 in Viera. The Not Sloth Like race – less than 20 minutes to finish the 1.8-mile course – goes green at 7 a.m. The More Sloth Like event – more than 20 minutes to finish – begins at 7:35. The course offers plenty of animal view-ing opportunities and the chance to spend a fun day at the Zoo for 50 percent of the entry fee by showing your race number.The events, which benefit the zoo, feature:n Fun Sloth Awardsn Free Li’l Sloth Kid’s Run with Zippy the

Geckon Breakfast catered by Pizza Gallery & Grilln Random giveaway of one-day Disney tick-

ets and one hotel night stay for two.n Two zoo Family Membership passes to be

given away to celebrate the race’s 10th an-niversary.

Race packet pickup will be available for pickup the week before the race starting Tuesday morning at Running Zone at 3696 N.

Wickham Road in Melbourne between Park-way and Post roads. Visit Running Zone’s website www.runningzone.com or call (321) 751-8890 for complete information. Beyond the zoo race two events remain on the 2015-2016 Series schedule, the April 9 Pirate Plunder 2-Miler in Downtown Mel-bourne and the traditional Run for the Gecko 5K on May 7 at the Wickham Park Pavilion at Eastern Florida State College across the street from Running Zone. John Cacciatore and defending overall series champion Chris Cacciapaglia sit atop the male series standings with 240 and 200 points respectively. Kaitlin Donner holds a 100-point lead over defending women’s champion Kim Hun-ger, 300 to 200. Shane Streufert leads Joseph Lento, 300 to 230, atop the Male Masters standings while Tracy Dutra leads Julie Hannah 290 to 250 atop the Female Masters standings.

Melbourne’s Rob Lara shows the spirit of run-ning and the 2015 Zebra Zoom as he crosses the Brevard Zoo finish line in full regalia.

Sloth Skedaddle 3k Preview By Mark DeCotis

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The 44th annual Space Coast Marathon and Half-Marathon had a decidedly local flavor to it – and we haven’t seen that in a long, long time. Palm Bay’s David Kilgore won the men’s marathon in 2:38:16, becoming the first local run-ner to win the event since at least 2003. Women’s winner Lori Nedescu may live in Columbus, Ohio now, but she was an Indian Harbour Beach resident in 2008 when she made her marathon running debut at this very race. Melbourne’s Julie Hannah won the women’s half-marathon, an inspirational victory considering she just beat breast cancer 18 months ago. The men’s half-marathon went to Orlando’s John Davis, a former Brevard County resident who won in 1:18:05 and spent much of the morn-ing running by himself. More than 7,100 runners took part in the race, which featured unexpectedly warm weather to go with the spectacular views, cheering crowds and people dressed in costumes ranging from Pigs in Space to Darth Vader, Princess Leia and Captain America. A total of 520 volunteers helped with the race over a two-day period. Kilgore, who ran for Doug Butler at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, signed up to run this year’s marathon after graduating from the Univer-sity of Florida and thinking his days of competing in college were over. However, he is now a graduate student at Oklahoma State and just finished his cross country season, meaning he had been running races that were 8K and 10K, not marathon length. In fact, though he has run a 50-mile race and a 50K, this was his first marathon. “I signed up for it in March because I thought I was going to be done with eligibility and I said I was probably going to focus more on trail and ultra (running) and some shorter races every now and then,” Kilgore said. “But I was like, ‘This is will be great.’ I always wanted to come and try to win this one. Some people were saying a hometown guy hasn’t won it in a while, so I was pretty stoked up to try to do it.” Kilgore, 24, finished ahead of Marc Burget of Jacksonville (2:47:34) who was going for a Space Coast Marathon three-peat. Michael Macdonald of Tampa (2:47:57) finished third. Fernando Todeschini of Manaus was the master’s champion in 2:56:35. Kilgore said he came in with the goal of winning it all and was self-assured because of his running background, despite not having trained thoroughly to run a marathon. “I was a tiny bit nervous because you never know who’s going to come out, and like I said,

I haven’t been training for it,” he said. “I took a little time off right when cross country ended. It ended about a week ago. So I took a couple of days off then ran a couple of days and then ran this. “I was pretty happy with it.” Nedescu ran her personal best of 2:56:10 last month in Columbus, but when asked if that made her confident going into Sunday’s race, she had to laugh. “Not really,” she said. “I came in full of turkey and on vacation, visiting my family. It feels great. I’m exhausted.” The 31-year-old’s winning time of 2:58:28 was a stark contrast to her first Space Coast Marathon in 2008, when she finished in 4:00:29. She has run a number of marathons since then, but now her home base is in Ohio. “I’ve been used to running in 30-degree weather, so this was really hot for me,” she said. “But it was a great crowd. Really fun.” Orlando’s Michelle Nunez (3:08:22) was second. Desiree Barger of Palmetto Bay was third in (3:10:51). Sarah Wittman of Lovell was the master’s champion in 3:12:02. Though she had been away for a little while, Nedescu said the course, the sights and the atmo-sphere were just as she remembered “It’s nice to be able to come back,” she said. Like Kilgore and Nedescu, the men’s half-marathon featured a dominating performance as Davis outran Selvin Reyes of Orlando (1:20:06) and Steve Hedgespeth of West Melbourne (1:20:36). Viera’s Shane Streufert was the master’s champion in 1:22:15. “It was a good race,” Davis said. “I was alone the whole way. Kyle Cook ran with me

for about the first mile-and-a-half and then I was alone the rest of the way. “I’m happy with it.” As for running by himself, Davis said he wasn’t worried about being able to keep a fast pace “I’ve done it a few times, so it’s not a completely new feeling,” he said. “But it is harder when you’re running all by yourself. It’s tough to push yourself. I ended up just trying to go for a time. “I knew the course was going to be long for me because I took the wrong turn. I was still try-ing to get under 1:18 and I missed it by a second or two.” Hannah, who ran the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN in June (where she set her personal best by three minutes) and the New York City Marathon on Nov. 1, wasn’t sure where she would finish Sunday. But she didn’t think she would finish first. However, as she and her running partner, Doug Nichols, were on the course, she began hear-ing she was in second place. Then, at the five-mile mark, she saw the first-place runner, Rather than try to chase her down, Hannah stuck with her plan and took the lead around the eight or nine-mile mark. “The person I was running with (Doug Nich-ols) just reminded me to run our own race – don’t stress about it. And I didn’t,” Hannah said. “Thank goodness he was reminding me about it. That’s what helped.” Hannah finished in 1:32:54. Lisa Buohler of Lehigh Acres was second in 1:34:01 and Jenny Sparks of Wellington was third in 1:35:39. JJ Salisbury of Winter Park won the master’s divi-sion in 1:36:25. Given all she has been through, it was an emotional day for the 41-year-old Melbourne resident. “I had some choice words in my head for cancer the last couple of miles,” Hannah said. “Doug was like, ‘What? You don’t talk like that.’ That was kind of my mantra for the last couple of miles. “The marathon I ran in Duluth was just amazing. It was a huge PR, and I thought that was great. This really just topped (it). I never broke the tape before. I was so excited.”

Local runners steal the show at 44th Space Coast Marathon & Half-MarathonBy Carl Kotala

Former Holy Trinity runner and two-time state champion David Kilgore wins the Space Coast Marathon.

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Local runners steal the show at 44th Space Coast Marathon & Half-Marathoncontinued from the previous page

Lori Nedescu captures the overall female victory in the Space Coast Marathon.

Sarah Wittman crosses the finish line to win the Space Coast Marathon Female Masters title.

Viera’s Shane Streufert wins the Male Masters title in the Space Coast Half-Marathon.

Melbourne’s Julie Hannah breaks the tape to win the Space Coast Half-Marathon overall female title.

Fernando Todeschini captures the Space Coast Marathon Male Masters crown.

John Davis captures the Space Coast Half-Marathon.

JJ Salisbury of Winter Park nabs female Masters for the half marathon.

The bling has sprung. Space Coast Marathon and Half-Marathon volunteers display the medals they soon will distribute.

Sarah Hamilton (6594) crosses to win the Femae 70-74 age group in the Space Coast Marathon.

Errol Daniels Jr. is all concentration en route to his marathon finish.

Joseph Burgasser wins the Male 75-79 age group in the Space Coast Marathon.

Stacks and stacks of towels await hundreds and hundreds of runners at the Space Coast Marathon and Half-Marathon.

Preparing for hungry runners can be a tough job.

Lisa Farrell sings the National Anthem before the Space Coast Marathon and Half-Marathon while co-race director Denise Piercy stands at attention.

Space Coast Half-Marathon runner and former space shuttle astronaut Mike McCulley addresses runners before the Space Coast Marathon and Half-Marathon.

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Excalibur 10 Miler, 2 Miler & Relay offer options for everyoneBy Mark DeCotis

Runners looking for a top-notch event to cap their season or scintillate their spring should circle March 20 on their calendar. That’s the date of the third annual Excalibur 10-Miler and Relay which this year add the Dragon Slayer 2-miler just for fun. The 10-miler and relay race go green at 7 a.m. at Viera High School on Stadium Parkway and have a three-hour time limit for finishers. The 2-miler begins at 7:15 a.m. All fin-ishers receive the eye-catching Dragon Slayer medal. Registration and packet pick up begin at 5:30 a.m. As for the weather, it’s anyone’s guess. Although temperatures have averaged 40s for the low and 70s for the high, be prepared for cool as well as warm weather. Florida weather is somewhat unpredictable in the winter months of the year.

The defending 10-mile champions are hometown runner Shane Streufert of Viera who broke the 2015 tape in 1:00:29 and Melbourne’s Tracy Dutra who topped the women’s field in 1:10:36 good for seventh overall. Inaugural winners were West

Melbourne’s Steve Hedgespeth in 58:33 and Vero Beach’s Meredith Van Veen who was the first woman and 11th overall in 1:07:14. This year kicks off The Game of Stones Series, Quest for the Holy Grail medals. This year’s is Emerald followed by Sapphire

(2017), Ruby (2018) and Diamond (2019). Participants who run three of four years of the Quest also earn a King Arthur Crown while participants for all four years also earn the elusive Chalice. “We are so excited about Excalibur over-all and the new 2-miler,” said race director

Denise Piercy. “In two short years Excalibur has be-come one of the Space Coast’s most unique events and adding the 2-miler only broadens the opportunity for more runners and walk-ers to share in the excitement of the day and perhaps to be inspired enough to try either the 10-miler or the relay in 2017. “It will be a great day.” Once again the USATF certified 10-mile course will take runners through the burgeon-ing Viera community where they will run on solid surfaces and on dirt along Power Line Road courtesy of the Duda Ranch and the Viera Company. For complete race information on the 10-miler, the relay and the 2-miler, please visit www.excaliburrun.com

Local runners steal the show at 44th Space Coast Marathon & Half-Marathoncontinued from the previous page

Runners bolt from the starting line at the Space Coast Half-Marathon.

Marathon finisher Renee Smith flashes victory sign out on the course.

Above all running is sup-posed to be enjoyed and Beth Kavanagh is doing just that en route to her marathon finish.

The smile by Yolanda Murphy-Johnson (399) says it all. She finished the Space Coast Half-Marathon.

Last year’s Excalibur 10-Mile overall winner Shane Streufert and women’s champion Tracy Dutra sit atop their thrones. With Tracy is daughter Waverly.

"In two short years Excalibur has become one of the Space Coast’s most unique events and adding the 2-miler only broadens the opportunity for more runners and walkers to share in the excitement..." – DENISE PIERCY

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upper in the forefoot adds to the luxury and premium appeal, designed to cater to toe splay and the need for room as runners log long miles. 8mm offset. $150

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Join the athletes whosupport promoting health, fitness andcharitable giving in the community.

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Kaitlin Donner nears Olympic Team qualifier, lifelong dream By Mark DeCotis

Melbourne’s Kaitlin Donner is but months away from the opportunity to fulfill the dream of a lifetime, a berth on the U.S. Olympic Tri-

athlon Team for the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil. In between training and racing and working and enjoying life with her husband Ed Donner and her family, Donner, who has a Doctorate in Physical Therapy,

took time to look back and look ahead.

QUESTION: When/where is/are Trial(s) and what finish do you have to have to make the team?ANSWER: The final selection event is likely to be in Yokohama, Japan on April 15. USA Tri-athlon hasn’t official announced it. A top three finish plus being the top U.S. female is what will secure a spot.

Q: Can you discuss the mental aspect of all this? How you prepare mentally for both suc-cess and coming up short? Percentage wise how much of the training is mental?A: The mental aspect of racing is huge and I think severely overlooked by most athletes at every level of racing. I do visualization exercises multiple times a week as well as dur-ing tough sessions. I have been working with Bobby McGee on how to improve my mental game — this includes visualization as well as self-talk and learning how to positively interpret the uncomfortable nature of racing and training. I think every time an athlete goes out to train or race there is a mental component to it.

Q: In that vein have you done visualization? Do you ever stop yourself and think: "I have the opportunity to be an Olympian?" I assume you have spent time speaking with triathletes you have been Olympians. What's the best advice they have given you? A: Every day it is in the back of my mind that I have this incredible opportunity in front of me, but it is not my primary focus during training. I try to focus on the process and all the details that go into a successful race day. It can become very overwhelming thinking too much about the big picture and the vastness of it. All I can do is train and race my best and let everything else fall into place. One thing I’ve had to learn is to not stress about things I can’t control. Most of the athletes on the ITU circuit are Olympi-ans and I have learned two major themes from them. One: They are normal people who have an incredible opportunity to call sport their job and travel the world, but still enjoy the sim-plicities of family, home, relaxing. And two:

Consistent, hard work over time with attention to detail makes great athletes.

Q: Physically which one of the three legs of triathlon do you need to really conquer to get the finish you need? Which of the three is your strength? At peak training this winter/spring how many hours will you be putting in and what would be a typical day at peak training?A: I think I need to improve in all three aspects of triathlon but probably most importantly my swim since it sets up the entire race. What I per-ceive as my strength seems to vary depending on what point in the season and after what re-cent race I had. It is constantly changing which is one of the aspects of triathlon I love. During offseason this winter I will likely train 20-25 hours a week. This will be my first offseason with my new coach, Cliff English so it will be a bit different than past years. A typical day lately can vary from just a swim and some strength work to a 1+ hour hilly run, 3-4K swim and an evening 90-minute bike. So far this offseason Ed and I have really been enjoying getting off the road and onto our mountain bikes.

Q: How do you balance work, training and having a life?A: Once training picks up soon I won’t work in the clinic as a physical therapist much at all because it’s just too much and my body isn’t able to recover the way it needs to between workouts. It’s very easy to balance training - which returns to become my full time job - and life compared to when I was in school trying to

train, study, have a life.

Q: Can you discuss how important it is to have the home front support you do from Ed, your family, your employer, your community?A: I think it’s absolutely huge to have the support system I have and I am very blessed to have found them all. Ed helps to take away a lot of everyday stress, as well as being my most consistent/best training partner. Having my parents so close helps keep me grounded and remember what is truly important in life. My coworkers, and particularly my boss Mike - who also is my strength coach - and the commu-nity are incredible in their continued support as I pursue my dreams and try to become the best athlete/person I can be. It truly takes a village. I could never do it alone.

Q: When did you first set the goal to be an Olympian? How many years ago and what initially spurred you on?A: Since I grew up swimming I actually wanted to qualify for the swimming Olympic trials at a young age. During college I had in the back of my mind that maybe I could get a trials cut running since I had decided to run at Florida - I wasn’t nearly good enough to swim there - but the times were pretty far off what I was running. It wasn’t until I was contacted by USAT and a few years into this triathlon journey when I was able to race at selection events that I realized I have an opportunity to race the best female triathletes in the world and why not set the incredibly high goal of the Olympics? I don’t want to have any regrets in a few years that I didn’t set my goals high enough and become the best athlete I can be before starting a family.

Q: Do you remember the first time you swam competitively, ran, biked? How did you do? A: I remember the first day my dad took me to “try out” for club swimming in Melbourne at Fee Avenue pool and I cried the entire 25 yards. Somehow that sparked my love for the sport. I first starting running by doing the kids runs at local 5Ks and my fondest memory is jumping into a pile of stuffed animals at the Melbourne Art Festival kids run at Manatee Park. My first triathlon was in Clermont when I was 11 years old with my mom. It was just something fun we decided to do together and I didn’t do another one for years. I don’t remember being spectacu-lar at any of them but always had fun.

Q: What would be the best advice you would give the athletes coming up behind you?A: The same advice I have been given and think about everyday: Consistent, hard work overtime makes great athletes.

Kaitlin Donner breaks the tape in her triathlon victory in New Zealand. She hopes to parlay her success into a U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team berth. Image courtesy of Kaitlin Donner.

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Remember the beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh, wearing her brightly colored tape during the 2008 Olympics? More recent-ly, the tape has been worn by athletes of all sports, including David Beckham and Serena Williams. This interesting- looking, brightly –colored tape is called elastic therapeutic tape (ETT) or kinesiology (from the term kinesiol-ogy, the study of motion) tape. ETT is nothing new. It was invented in 1973 by the Japanese chiropractor Kenzo Kase, but it never really caught on until recently. The tape differs from other tapes in that it is water resistant, has skin adhesion that lasts up to five days, and, of course, it comes in bright colors. Proponents of the tape claim that it has physiological benefits of improved muscle function, pain control, and improvement of circulation. Many recent studies, however, have disputed these claims. What are the real benefits of ETT? First of all, other than its water resis-tance and good adhesive properties, ETT is no different than other tape. Its benefits need to be assessed in comparison to other taping techniques. Athletic taping of various body parts is nothing new. As the Smashmouth song says, “It’s all been done before!” Vari-ous types of wrappings have been used over the centuries for many injuries. Tape as we know it was developed in the late 1800s. It was a rubber-backed gauze called rubber adhesive plaster, but was not used in medicine. In 1888, Dr. Virgil Gibney read an article about a British physician who used tape to treated injury. Gibney created a taping tech-nique in 1893 for sprained ankle, calling it the Gibney basket weave. This excellent technique is still used today. The use of taping for athletic injuries became popular, but the tape at that time was rubber- based, and skin reactions were common. To address this, Johnson & Johnson developed tapes using other materials, includ-ing zinc oxide, used in their ZO and Zonas products introduced an 1899. In the 1940s, Dr. Joseph Doller, who lat-er founded my practice (Melbourne Podiatry Associates), developed many athletic taping techniques. He initially worked as an athletic

Elastic Therapeutic Tape (Kinesiology Tape)By Richard C. Wilson, DPM Melbourne Podiatry Associates

trainer for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Stags (predecessors of the Chicago Bulls). After he obtained his medical license, he became the team podiatrist for the Chicago (now St. Louis) Cardinals football team. He was the first to describe the condition that he named turf toe. Many of Dr. Doller’s taping techniques are commonly used today. There are many taping techniques that are utilized with ETT. Some of these are similar or identical to traditional taping tech-niques. In these cases, the benefits of ETT in providing compression and immobilization would be similar to other tape. Proponents of ETT, however, claim many more ben-efits. They say that there are six corrections provided by ETT. These are referred to as fascia, ligament/tendon, space, circulation/lymphatic, function, and mechanical. The ligament/tendon correction basi-cally refers to partial immobilization of the structures typically provided by taping. This also explains the mechanical correction. The

space and fascia corrections are interest-ing. It is claimed that the taping applied over spaces partially limits and stimulates the fascia layer under the skin. This stimula-tion supposedly mobilizes the local circula-tion, particularly the lymphatic circulation. This results in decreased pain and swelling. These benefits are not proven. The final correction is that of function, and this is the most interesting. The pres-ence of the tape on the skin may cause the brain to be aware of it, affecting what is known as proprioception. Proprioception is the body’s sense of the relative positions of its parts to each other. Proprioception is very important in virtually all types of coordinat-ed movement. If the brain notices the pres-ence of tape and alters its proprioception, protection of the taped part may be achieved. Additionally, the taping may provide enough

feedback for the brain not to think about the pain. This is not a true placebo effect, rather, a variation of the gate theory of pain. Proprioception benefits of taping in general, and of ETT in particular, are difficult study.

However, limited results of some studies were favorable. In summary, athletic taping as a time-honored treatment modality is here to stay. Which type of tape that you use is prob-ably not a major issue. Regarding ETT, I quote Cary Grover from his recent article in Lower Extremity Magazine: “As long as athletes perceive that the tape offers them an advantage, they'll be wearing those brightly colored stripes like a herd of neon zebras.”Dr. Wilson, a Melbourne native and Florida Gator, earned his doctorate degree from the Illinois College of podiatric Medicine in Chicago. After completing a surgical residence in Chicago, Dr. Wilson returned to Melbourne where he has been practicing with Melbourne Podiatry Associates for 30 years. The good doctor is passionate about his profession; run-ning – a sport in which he has reveled for more than 45 years – and writing, particularly about all things running and foot related.

Proponents of ETT... say that there are six corrections provided by ETT. These are referred to as fascia, ligament/tendon, space, circulation/lymphatic, function, and mechanical.

Dr. Virgil Gibney created a taping technique in 1893 for sprained ankle, calling it the Gibney basket weave. This technique is still used today.

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Why I Run: Jeni RitterBy Mark DeCotis

Jeni is an avid OSU Buckeyes fan and tries to make it to a game every few seasons

Jeni Ritter is Running Zone’s Race Management Coordinator whose primary re-sponsibility is to work with the race directors to help coordinate their events. Running Zone Race Management works with about 50 other events in addition to the 12 Running Zone Foundation events throughout the year. Ritter is originally from Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from Ashland University with a degree in Recreation/Sports Adminis-tration, where she was a member of the swim team and a five-time All American. She then went on to get a master's degree from Ohio State in Sport and Exercise Studies and was a volunteer coach with the Men's Swim Team. She later worked at Florida International University as the Assistant Swim Coach and received a Master's in Higher Education Administration. After a brief stint in central Pennsylvania, she moved to Melbourne to be-come the Swim Coach and Aquatics Director at Florida Tech, where she spent three years. Why I Run: Great question, I asked myself that a lot. It is a new challenge after spend-ing years swimming. I can apply some of the same principles I used in swimming such as pacing and sprint work. It also really conve-nient, because all I need to do is put on my running shoes and go outside to run. No trips to the gym needed. When I Run and Why: Typically in the morning, but if I happen to miss my alarm, I will go at night. It is nice to get it over with for the day, and know that when I get home from work I can relax. Where I Run and Why: I run in and around my neighborhood. If I have to put ef-fort into going somewhere, I am afraid I will talk myself out of it. With Whom I Run and Why: I like to run by myself, I am not the fastest runner out there and I prefer not to put pressure on my-self about holding people up. Again, it's just a convenience thing. Worst running experience you learned the most from: Well, I have only run in one race, which was Race Smith's Cotton-mouth Quarter Marathon (around 6.6 miles) a few weeks ago. I completely ran out of gas around mile 5, which made my slow pace

even slower. It felt like I was running through desert sand and the finish line kept getting further and further away, with sun beating down on me. Perhaps I am a little dramatic, but it was not the way I wanted to finish the race.

Jeni loves crusin’ the high seas, her last cruise was to Alaska with her parents and sister.

Jeni has two long haired dachshunds, Edith Louise (picture above) and Dexter Maximillian.

of the Space Coast Marathon &Half-Marathon on Facebook. Share your stories, photos, questions and tips about Floida's oldest – and the nation's only – space themed matahon & half!

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Julie Hannah is accustomed to winning. So when she realized she had the women’s victory in the 2015 Space Coast Half-Marathon secured she took time to think about an even bigger triumph: Beating breast cancer. “I had some choice words in my head for cancer the last couple of miles,” Hannah said. The 42-year-old Melbourne woman broke the tape in 1 hour, 32 minutes and 51 seconds on Nov. 29 in Cocoa Village continu-ing a streak of remarkable achievements on the road and as an inspiration to countless others who are struggling with meeting goals or defeating an insidious disease. “Julie is by far one of the most dedicated runners I have coached,” said Doug Butler, the legendary and Hall of Fame distance run-ning guru who is the winningest high school cross country coach in Florida history. “Of my adult runners, Julie is at the very top when it comes to dedication to following the training plan and overcoming adversity. She never misses a workout and always gives it 100 percent. She is her own worst critic and carries herself with total humility. She is at the top of the game so I would like to see her race with a little more confidence which will

drop her times even more. “She ran a great personal record mara-thon this summer at Grandma’s in Duluth (Minnesota) in 3:15 and then turned around and ran a great time in New York (3:21:03) in November as well. She is an inspiration to everyone to see that positive thinking, hard work, dedication, and discipline will help you achieve your goals and overcome obstacles no matter how big.” Next on Hannah’s hit list is April’s Bos-ton Marathon. “What's the next big race?” she asked slyly, already knowing the answer. “Boston, 2016. “I ran it in 2012 the year it was named the ‘The Boston Boiler’ because of the heat wave. Ran it in 3:40:48. I plan to crush that

time with at least a 3:15 or better.” Don’t bet against her. “I was very happy with my time,” Han-nah said of Space Coast. “I simply felt truly triumphant. I felt a great sense of pride being a local. I would first thank my husband John for being so supportive from the very start eight years ago when I decided to give run-ning a try. “Then of course Coach Doug Butler. Trusting his plan and sticking with it all these years. My training partners in his Set Goals Not Limits camp really push me to work harder. I typically run about 40 miles a week. Two days of speed work, three days easy run, one long distance run and one day off. When training for a marathon, my mileage usually peaks at 70-75 miles.”

Hannah also had kind words for training partner Doug Nichols. “I was lucky enough to be running Space Coast with one of my training partners Doug Nichols,” she said. “During those last few miles, especially after passing the lead female, he just kept reminding me to run my own race. That really kept my head straight and a lot more relaxed.” That’s saying a lot for a woman who learned of her diagnosis in January of 2014 and underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and 33 treatments of radiation. With the support of her family – which also includes twin daughters Kayla and Madison - friends and the running community Hannah resumed running in July of 2014 and with her body healed and her mind steeled she has been unstoppable. “I look at my life completely different now,” Hannah told “Runner’s World.” “Every single day, I’m so grateful for every little experience that I have. I feel like I’m more awake now than before. I just have so much more gratitude in every single day. “I feel like (if) I can PR after going through chemo and cancer treatments, how much faster can I get? It’s like the sky is the limit to me right now, whereas before, it was like, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t think I can run faster than that.

For Julie Hannah, The Sky is The LimitBy Mark DeCotis

"She is an inspiration to everyone to see that positive thinking, hard work, dedication, and discipline will help you achieve your goals and overcome obstacles no matter how big.” – DOUG BUTLER

Julie Hannah celebrates her Space Coast Half-Marathon women’s victory with fellow runner Michael Kisner of Melbourne.

Julie Hannah records a second-place age group finish in the 2015 Ghostly Gecko 5K.

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